Niels C. Holch is a founding partner of Holch & Erickson LLP. He has more than twenty-five years experience in both private practice and government service in Washington. In his private practice, he has represented clients on a wide range of issues before the United States Congress and various Federal administrative agencies. These issues include financial market and investment management regulation, Native American law and policy, federal election law and regulation, and energy and environmental law and policy.
Prior to founding Holch & Erickson LLP and a predecessor law firm, McGuiness & Holch, Mr. Holch served as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), currently the Senate Majority Leader.
Previously, Mr. Holch was Senior Vice President at Hill & Knowlton Public Affairs; Vice President and Counsel at Gray and Company Public Affairs; Legislative Representative for the American Iron and Steel Institute; and Professional Staff Member for the Re-Election Campaign of Representative Stewart McKinney (R-CT).
Active in various coalitions and nonprofit organizations, Mr. Holch serves as the Executive Director of the Shareholder Communications Coalition (Washington, D.C.); Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Retirement Investing Institute (Lakewood, Colorado); Executive Director of the Coalition of Mutual Fund Investors (Washington, D.C.); Member of the Finance and Investment Committee and Governance Committee of the Luminis Health System; and Member of the Board of Trustees for the Anne Arundel Medical Center (Annapolis, Maryland).
Mr. Holch also served as a Member of the Board of Trustees for The Key School in Annapolis, Maryland from 2004-2018, and as President of the Board from 2007-2010.
Mr. Holch has received five patents for co-inventing the first cashless slot machine to be developed in the United States. More recently, he has received three patents for inventing a series of electronic casino games utilizing a pari-mutuel wagering format.
Mr. Holch graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Ohio Wesleyan University, receiving a B.A. in Economics and Psychology. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Holch is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia. He and his family live in Annapolis, Maryland.